


David Dies at the End

by HideInMyShadow



Series: Immortal David [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Gen, Immortality, Kinda?, Major Character Injury, Swearing, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 11:58:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12012243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HideInMyShadow/pseuds/HideInMyShadow
Summary: Max just wanted to be alone- so really, David shouldn’t have been there to save him in the first place…





	David Dies at the End

**Author's Note:**

> Set just after the end on season one, between then and the next season.  
> This is based on my own Camp Camp immortal au post- this story isn't cannon to the au but I plan to do a second story involving Daniel at some point.  
> Find the post here; hideinmyshadow.tumblr.com/post/164878587758/hideinmyshadow-looking-at-my-immortal

* * *

* * *

“-----?!”

“-------ake u---!”

“WAKE  _THE FUCK!_   _UP!_  ASSHOLE!”

David groaned, blinking his eyes open slightly to a barely focused mass of black and blue tugging roughly at his shirt.

“…M...ax?”

Stopping his frantic shaking the boy stared down at David for a moment before an uncertain, almost smile crossed his features. Bright green eyes took a second to scan across his face.

“David?”

Max’s voice was much quieter than usual, vocal cords choked and horse from the last five minutes of panicked shouting. Blearily David noticed the trembling hand clutching at his shoulder. If the camp councillor wasn’t desperately clinging to consciousness he would have given the boy a hug. As if reading his thoughts a small hand smacked David’s face, snapping his half closed eyes open again.

“Hey! Stay focussed idiot! Don’t you dare fucking die pretending to be a hero or some shit- ugh! God, it won’t stop fucking  _bleeding_ …”

“What…?”

David’s eyebrows creased in confusion trying to piece the world together.  
He remembered seeing his most troublesome camper sneaking off after curfew just as he was preparing for bed himself. Being worried that Max might end up getting hurt or setting up a prank for the next day he had pursued the boy through the forest. Admittedly he had been impressed that Max had navigated so well in the dim evening light as to get so far from camp without incident, but it was regrettable that the boy had decided to use that particular cliff as his refuge. Vaguely David could recall trying to get Max back to camp and the boy throwing a tantrum about ‘alone time’, then Max was falling, David managed to jump forward to grab him and the ledge at the same time but just as he got the camper to safety his handhold gave way leaving him a victim to gravity. That would explain the dizziness and the position he was in at least.  
Yes, falling from a relatively small cliff should have caused some injuries but nothing  _that_  deadly- at least not to him.

“What blee-ding?”

All at once a sharp pain rushed through his system, drawing his tired gaze towards its source; a large, sharp, jagged branch of a fallen tree protruding from his side. Max was trying to use David’s shirt-neckerchief to stop the bleeding with little success, leaving red stains all over both of their clothes. A wave of nausea swept over him at the sight. That was… _a lot_ worse than he was prepared to deal with today.

“… _Oh._ That  _is_  a problem _._ ”

Realising that his efforts were futile, Max began to look around them, digging into every pocket he could find on both of them with a scowl. Before David could ask, Max yanked at his hair with a frustrated growl.

“Shitshit _shit_ \- where the fuck is your phone?”

“I…gave it to Gwen- hers broke this mor-”

“Grrrah! Damn it, David- Why are you- I can’t- What do we  _do?_ ”

David stared at Max’s scared expression. He’d never seen that look before, it made him think back to the failed bonfire, had Max looked this young and venerable when he had shouted his name that night too? Taking a shaky breath, David put on a small grin and placed a weak hand on the boys head. Wide eyes flickered from the councillors’ hand for a moment then back to his face in question.

“David…?”

David knew what he had to do. It wasn’t ideal but there was no other choice at this point, he just hoped that Max wouldn’t hate him any more after this.

“It’s going to be ok, Max. I’ll be alright. I- I just need you to help me up first, alright kiddo?”

For a second it looked like Max was going to explode with anger but he just gave an anxious huff before nodding.

* * *

Getting David off of the branch as painlessly as possible was not easy, it took everything in the councillor not to start whining when they were half way. After one last tug, David was launched onto the forest floor with a sharp yelp, Max following shortly from exhaustion. The ten year old quickly fumbled his way over to David, his breathing becoming much harsher as he watched a pool of crimson begin to form beneath the other at a steady pace.

“D-David, you moron! Now it’s worse!  _Fuck_ \- I thought you knew about this first-aid shit!”

“I-ow that hurts!- know what I’m doing Max. You’re just---nnm going to have to trust me and st-tay calm ok?”

“How the  _fuck_  am i supposed to be calm right now?!”

“L-Language-”

That was it.

“Are you-?  _YOU’RE FUCKING **DYING,**  DAVID!_” 

The evening air felt heavy in the silence between them, filled with uncertainty and fear. Using what little strength he had David rolled over and pushed himself to sit against a tree, barely looking at Max as the camper glared down at his shoes. He would have given anything for Max not to have witnessed this. He had no idea what to do…

* * *

Max was doing everything he could not to scream- or punch David’s dumb fake-smiling face. He wasn’t stupid; they were too far from camp to call for help and even if he ran as fast as he could David would be beyond saving by the time his short legs made it. His teeth ground together, burning a hole into his blood stained shoes.   
This was all  _David’s_  fault! If he’d just done the normal thing and left Max alone, like any other adult, then none of this would be happening and Max wouldn’t have to explain how he didn’t murder the guy he’s been trying to ruin the life of for most of the summer.  
As if hearing his thoughts the man spoke up with a classic advertising grin, not noticing how the beads of sweat on his forehead and pallid complexion reversed its integrity.

“I’m…going to be ok Max. I’m not going to-”

Not wanting to hear it Max lashed out, rounding on the injured man to give him the full effect of his fury.

“Don’t fucking lie to me bastard!”

David had the balls to chuckle at that, pulling a few large splinters out with a wince. Max’s expression made him look a little ashamed for it at least, but that stupid smile just wouldn’t shift!

“I’m n-not lying- look, I know this is a little scary and confusing but I **_promise_** you Max everything _will_ be alright. You don’t need to worry- that’s my job.”

“You can’t ‘ ** _promise_** ’ shit David! I know you’re a whiny bitch most of the time so stop acting like some god damn martyr in some vain attempt to make me feel better and admit that you’re **fucking screwed!** ”

Needing to unleash some physical tension Max kicked an unsuspecting branch into a tree, taking slight satisfaction as it splintered on impact. He knew David was staring at him, he almost expected the man to finally break down and sob like he usually would but once again David had to be an optimistic dick about this.

“Max, arguing about this won’t solve anything. It might seem impossible but all of this will be over soon and we’ll be back with the others before you know it…I’m not- I’m not goin’ anywhere…”

David’s beaming grin had softened into a weary tweak of a smile, his shoulders sinking and dragging him lower down the base of the tree. Max’s throat seized up as the man’s eyes drooped and his head dropped every few seconds as if a blink away from oblivion, causing the boy to take a few unsteady steps towards him.

“Jus-…stay here and I’ll…have a li’l nap…then we can…go back to camp…and have hot chocolate…yeah?…yeah.”

“What? No! _No_ sleeping!”

The boy rushed down beside the dying man and grabbed his forearms harshly, giving a quick shake as David’s speech began to slur.

“J-jus’ a’few…min’uts.”

Max shook his head, growing pale with dread as he struggled to keep David’s attention.

“NO! David!  _David_! You sack of shit don’t-don’t go to sleep! I’m serious! Stay awake god damn it! Don’t…don’t leave…”

Max suddenly remembered every time he’d attempted to kill David, all the times he’d wished the cheery camp councillor would drop dead and leave him to his misery. He’d meant it- he thought he had- but never once did he think it would become reality, not even when the bonfire landed on him. It was  _David_ after all- nothing could stop him.  
That he, or anyone else, would never have to deal with the lanky man’s hard work and optimism for the rest of the summer- or any summer after- was just impossible.  
It  _was_  impossible, but now…

The realisation that this was reality hit him hard.

“I…I don’t-…”

Without warning, David was enveloped in a tight hug.

“I-I don’t  _want_  you to die…please don’t-…”

Surprised and weary, David leaned his head into Max’s hair with a small sad smile, eyelids falling completely.

“’M sorry Max…I-…”

With that, David stopped moving.

* * *

Max held his breath; waiting for some sign that David really was just asleep. The weight of his body was starting to press heavily down on him, making his back ache with the strain. There was no steady rise and fall in his chest, no soft thump echoing through his body, no light breaths rustling Max’s messed up curls- nothing.  
Slowly he leaned back, air escaping his lungs as he looked upon David’s face.  
  
David wasn’t smiling anymore.  
David always smiled, even in his sleep.

 _He wasn’t asleep._  
  
The sob that crawled out of Max’s throat was like a knife in the gut, wracking his entire being before he had the chance to stop it. Suddenly conscious of the tears threatening to surface he buried his face into David’s shoulder, nails digging harshly into the cold flesh pale arms. Trying to breathe normally hurt, it burned his insides and scratched at his throat but he refused to cry.  
He wouldn’t cry for an idiot that got himself killed trying to be nice, he wouldn’t shed a single fucking tear for someone who couldn’t even acknowledge his own death, he would not morn a liar that tried to pretend everything was fine until the very end!  
Because this had nothing to do with Max; _he_ didn’t want to be followed, _he_ didn’t plan for the cliff to crumble, _he_ never asked to be saved and _he_ wasn’t responsible for anything so it wasn’t _Max’s_ fault!  
  
_Right?..._

It _wasn’t_ his fault so he _didn’t **care**_.  
**He would. Not. Cry.  
**   
Max pressed his forehead hard against the immobile body, burning fury coursing through him.

“F-Fuck you David- You f-fuckin’ **_liar_** _!_ You _idiot!_ Shit for brains! _Asshole!_ Fuckin’ _stupid!_ ”

He was _not_ going to cry.  
**_He wasn’t crying!_**  

“You- _You_ -…You fu-… You _promised-_ …”

Everything became a blur of numbness; he couldn’t hear or see anything except the thudding of his own heart. He could feel himself drifting away from the present, too tired and bitter to care.

This couldn’t be real, he must be dreaming and when he wakes up he’ll tell an abridged version to Niel and Nikki so they can all laugh at it then they’ll have a horrible breakfast with all the other campers and find someone to help them with their next scheme while Gwen gives them a suspicious glare. Then David will skip over and beam like a moron and congratulate Max for making such good friends with one of his dumb, over friendly, annoying head rubs that he usually brushes away immediately.

But maybe…maybe this time he could let it happen without a fight…just this once…

Somehow, the feeling of David’s hand resting on his head seemed very real…

“There, there. It’s ok Max…”

Max stiffened up; wild eyes darting around for any sign of movement. No one was there and he hadn’t heard anyone approach either. Hesitantly Max pulled back a little and looked up.

“… _David???_ ”

The redhead blinked down with an innocent smile and tilt of the head.

“Hmm?”

“ **HOLY FUCKING- _DAVID_!** ”

Max violently lurched back, blind panic causing him to punch David in the face. A loud squeak shot out of the man as he clutched his nose, eyes tearing up from the sudden attack. Frowning in disappointment at the ten year old scuttling backwards across the forest floor, David scolded him nasally.

“ _OWIE!_   **Max** , that was uncalled for!”

* * *

David felt his nose for any possible beak- not that it mattered since his bones healed almost as quickly as they broke, but it could leave him with phantom pains for a while. Finding nothing other than a throbbing headache, he focused once more on Max ready to list off reasons why punching someone was rude and inappropriate given the situation.

Then he saw how Max was staring at him as if he’d just seen a ghost. Which he realised was probably exactly what anyone would think after having witnessed this.

Suddenly it occurred to the David that maybe punching someone was not an inappropriate reaction to a ‘dead’ person talking. And that he had just died in front of a child who didn’t believe in the supernatural or any god for that matter. Also, Max hadn’t moved nor spoke for the past five minutes.

“Um, heeeeeey Max…Surprise?”

 Max wasn’t responding, he was more statue than boy at the moment and his pinpoint pupils were boring into David’s like an ice-pick. The camp councillor gave an experimental wave, dropping it almost as soon as he tried it with an embarrassed flush. How was anyone supposed to act after waking up from death to a possibly traumatised child?  
Coughing into the awkward silence in hopes of breaking the tension, David took a chance to inspect the remains of the mortal wound, pleased to find that the worst had been mended while he was…away. Giving it a testing poke he flashed Max what he hoped was a reassuring grin.

“Ha! Look, it’s almost completely healed. See? I told you everything would be alright!”

* * *

At David’s suggestion, without really wanting to Max’s eyes landed on David’s injured side- or what used to be an injury? Under the bloody, torn fabric of the councillor’s shirt was a large black and purple bruise, some small cuts and punctures along with a few small splinters littered around the edge of what once was a gaping wound.  
Feeling numb Max stared at the healed tissue before quickly snapping his gaze over to the branch and- yep still covered in blood- then to his own clothes- plenty of blood there too- the floor beneath them- _everything_ was red. David had definitely been injured, had bled all over the place and had without question died right in front of him.

So what the fuck was he doing sitting there giving Max that sad puppy look?

“Max?...Max? You ok kiddo? I’m sorry if I gave you a-”

Max jumped to his feet, pointing at David defensively.

“What are you?! A hallucination? Am I going **insane** , _is that it!?_ ”

David jolted at the accusation, nose scrunching up in bewilderment and concern.

“What-no! Max, you’re not crazy I’m the real David. I just-”

“So I _am_ dreaming?!-”

“You’re not drea- ah! I _should_ have said yes to that.”

“So you’re a ghost?! Fucking- ghost! You’re a ghost, a _real ghost_ , **ghosts** are real, and now you’re going to haunt me forever. _Fan-fucking-tastic!_ ”

“No, that’s not it. You even hit me before- I’m-”

“A zombie!-”

“No. Max-”

“Derren Brown!”

“Who? _No_ \- I-”

“ **HARRISON?!** \--”

A yell louder than anything Max had heard from the councillor cut across his rambling.

“I’M  _IMMORTAL_  MAX!”

Despite everything, Max couldn’t prevent himself raising a sceptical eyebrow at that.  
  
Seeming to lose his thunder at Max’s disbelief, David rubbed the back of his neck nervously absently noticing that his neckerchief-shirt was not there. He would have to ask Max what he did with it later. But first he had to deal with a very tricky conversation.

“Well, I mean, at least I _think_ I am. Not too sure about aging and life span or anything- _but_ I _do_ know that nothing can kill me…um, not for long anyway! So, you’re not insane, I’m not a trick and I’m not a ghost- just plain ‘ol Davey the camp councillor!...Who happens to be still alive, sooo how about that hot chocolate?”

* * *

After some time of questioning, shouting, and a quick unsuccessful clean up by a river, Max was beyond exhausted while David ~~the lucky bastard~~ was full of new found energy. Despite his loud protests Max found himself getting a piggyback ride back to camp but not before gaining reassurance that no one would see them at this time of night and David would give him an extra hot chocolate.

The child purposefully leaned his weight on David’s shoulders in the most painful way possible as he spoke.

“For the record- I didn’t give a shit that you were dead. I just didn’t want to get accused of murder or something because your dumb ass got skewered on a hike.”

David continued without complaint, checking to be sure his neckerchief hadn’t slipped out of his pocket.  
“Of course, Max.”

“Seriously! Had there been any witnesses I would have been  _laughing_! You’re just lucky I can’t actually kill you for this but if you tell  _anyone_ about what you saw I  **will**  find a way David!”

A minute of silence passed between them before Max relaxed into a more comfortable position.

“…You owe me a new hoodie. And you got blood on my shoes.”

The councillor sighed.

“I think we could both do with some new clothes…”

Huffing in reply, Max rested his head on the others back, contemplating taking a nap when David murmured questioningly over his shoulder.

“…Max?”

Max gave out a short angry grunt but moved his head slightly to show he was listening. He could sense David’s hesitation in his voice.

“I  _am_  sorry you had to see ... You didn’t deserve that and I hope you know it wasn’t your fault. I should have been more careful. I just want you to know that.”

When Max didn’t reply the red head tried to angle his neck to see his face before a hand shoved him to face forward, trying to shut him up.

“Whatever.”

It seemed that David wasn’t finished being a sap though. With a lighter more upbeat tone he continued.

“But…I’m glad you were with me. You made me feel a lot braver.”

Max felt a prickle of…something in his chest at that but he pushed it away, hiding his face in his hood with a forced sharp snark.

“Pff- You really are pathetic.”

He’s never admit it but he was grateful that David pretended not to notice the soft sniffles and tightening grip on his shirt as thay made their way back to camp.

* * *

* * *

[Bonus;]

“David?”

“Yes, Gwen?”

“Are you wearing one of my shirts?”

“Um, no?”

“…”

“Ok, so  _maybe_  it is but…Well, you see…um…”

“You got yours messed up again, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll get a new one as soon as I can.”

“For fuck’s sake David, this is the fourth time this month!”

“I thought we weren’t counting platypus attacks?!”

“ ** _That’s not the point David!_** ” 

* * *

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> [Poor Max, sometimes I forget he’s just ten. And then I remember and make him suffer anyway.  
> For clarification; I think that while certain injuries start healing straight away, ones that cause a lot of damage that would likely kill someone in a minute require David to ‘die’ before healing again. Sadly for David it takes a bit longer for him to die than others, so he just has to sit and suffer for a while…it’s very unpleasant to say the least.  
> This was just written off the top of my head- this au has no ‘cannon’ story, so feel free to do your own take on how Max finds out David’s immortal.]


End file.
